ABOUT

Miller Hudson

The Big Dog returned to Denver for the second year in a row this past week with his domestic policy edition of the Clinton Global Initiative — part Davos-style deliberation of important issues by important people, part tent revival where true believers are called forward to attest to their personal or organizational commitment to achieve good things. And it’s all served up with a dash of New Age earnestness by the carnival barker who was our 42nd president.

Two weeks ago I received an email from Sameer Parekh Brenn of Boulder containing the following appeal: “My family is being threatened with losing our healthcare coverage because Connect for Health is broken. Would you like to cover the story?”

Colorado Counties, Inc., better known as CCI, the lobbying organization that works on behalf of county interests, held its annual summer workshops at the Keystone Conference Center last week. While several sessions were so technical as to frighten away all but those who already had a handle on the issues under discussion — try “Measuring Culvert Pipe Durability Based on Environmental Conditions” for example — there were also more accessible venues where economic development, marijuana enforcement, regionally shared services and workforce development received a hearing.

Hanson’s second floor bar, at the corner of Louisiana and Pearl, was packed elbow-to-elbow election night as small bands of seemingly feral children swept back and forth slightly below belt level. The din was deafening and the crowd upbeat following an initial vote count from Denver Clerk Debra Johnson reported Jolon Clark with a 56-44 advantage over Alex Greco. Not much actually separated these two candidates, both young men with families and only minor policy differences — an apparent, coin flip call for voters.

Several hundred Colorado veterans rallied in front of the unfinished Veterans Administration hospital under construction on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora last Sunday. At least half arrived on motorcycles, filling the lot alongside Children’s Hospital with rolling thunder just across the street from the troubled project.

On the final Friday afternoon of the school year last week, the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) scheduled a “Rally to Take Back our Schools” in Clement Park. Scheduled for 4 p.m., hundreds were still searching for parking spaces as the skies opened at 4:15 and the crowd sought shelter beneath the picnic pavilions that surround the amphitheater. Sheets of rain, driven by gusts of wind drenched those along the periphery of the shelters. Umbrellas had to be clenched in both hands. After 30 minutes, the rain eased and a crowd of perhaps a thousand began to migrate towards the stage.

There was a charade-like quality to the proposed fare increase debate at RTD headquarters this week. Board members had tipped their hands during a work session “mark-up” the previous week, indicating the votes were there for approval of the proposed plan.

Mayors and governors infrequently sack appointees. And when it does occur, the culprit has usually committed some embarrassing personal indiscretion, or publicly objected to an administration policy or decision. These “Plum Book” jobs are all about loyalty. Rarer still is the appointee who submits his or her resignation in evident protest against the boss’s decisions.

Democrats in the Colorado Legislature began pushing the state’s election process toward all-mail balloting several years ago. Their premise was that easing voting would, over time, benefit Democratic candidates. Evidence supporting this hypothesis was thin. Oregon, the first state in the nation to adopt an all-mail, all-the-time ballot process had experienced growing Democratic majorities. Republican legislators resisted these Democratic proposals, but the success of Cory Gardner’s U.S.

It has been 36 years since Northwest Denver dumped an incumbent City Council member. In December of 1978 I was still savoring my “surprise” election to the Colorado House and waiting to be sworn into office when I received a call at home from Dutchess Scheitler. She asked whether she and her husband Bill could visit me at home. I hadn’t met either of them during my campaign and had no idea why they wanted to see me. Realtor Larry Perry had represented North Denver on City Council for several terms.